"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

58. Batman, for Bruce Wayne : ALTER EGO

59. Surprise hit, maybe : B-SIDE. singles where both sides became hits are known as 'double a-sides.' example: queen: we will rock you / we are the champions.

61. Threw verbal tomatoes : BOOED. no tomatoes, but tiger did get a hot dog thrown at him on sunday. i am just glad the tournament is over - it was a zoo. the players got free vouchers for meals and spa treatments, and even so, most of them did not tip.

65. Black hues, in poetry : EBONS

66. Spread in a tub : OLEO. no comment.

67. Pierre's South Dakota? : ETAT. etat is french for state.

68. A whole bunch : LOTS

69. Tiny fraction of a min. : PSEC

70. One of the Gilmore girls : RORY. i've never seen the show. rory gallagher is more my speed.

94 comments:

No real problems for me today. I paused a few seconds at 1A, but fortunately I have seen DAP before and it was still rattling around in my brain.

ATWATER and IPSO also caused brief pauses, but once again the answers was buried somewhere in the cobwebs and they came to mind after getting a few perps.

In fact, the only complete unknown today was ISABEL at 47D, but by the time I even saw the clue the answer was mostly filled in, and what else was ISABE_ going to be? No, wait -- HOT CORNER was also unknown to me, but again the perps took care of most of it and the rest was easy to guess.

Everything else was smooth sailing. Lots of fun clues today, like "cat's pajamas" for FUR and "Pierre's South Dakota" for ETAT.

Good Morning MelissaBee and friends. I, too, had trouble in the NW corner. I remembered that I had seen the word for Skipping Stones from previous crosswords, but I couldn't come up with the word DAPS.

Not what Barry says; I agree with mb about the obscurity of some of the clues and fill (OTA?) though I did know PICT from reading my son's archaeology books. Unless you are a baseball fan, HOT CORNER was not easy. There were some fun images like throwing verbal tomatoes, and some gimme law stuff, PROBATE, IPSO and MOOT, which is an interesting word which also means the argument is purely academic because the issue is decided.Thanks mb and Patti

Good morning, folks. Thanks, Patti, for a great puzzle. thank you, Melissa B, for the equally great write-up.

Did not know 1A, DAPS. Since ATWATER, PROBATE, and SOFA were easy, eventually it came after DOTBOMB became obvious. My only passion when I am on the shores of Lake Erie, is to skip stones. I do it every year. I have never heard of DAP until now. I am sure I will remember it.

Several unknowns, but perps filled them in. ie: PICT, TSE, ROUX, RORY

For once, the french words were actually easy. Maybe I'm getting smarter.

Now I am off to raking leaves and an appointment with my eye doctor (glaucoma checkup).

Hmmm, the world record for stone skipping was set on July 19th by Russell “Rock Bottom” Byars.51 skips. (Old record was 40).And yes, it was certified by Guinness World Records experts who analyzed film of Byars’ toss, checking the concentric circles in the water by each skip.

I'll do more research to find out if it was recognized by the Int'l Stone Skipping Association.

I hope it was ... because the last thing Mr. Byars needs is to have the I.S.S.A. on his ass.

I don't know why, but I really liked this puzzle. Did not hurry, and savored every clue and fill. Some I couldn't get right away such as PICT, but it would 'click' in on review. BH helped me with OTRO. Otherwise, no lookups needed. I remember ATWATER as being very good at what he did and that he died young, from cancer. Liked ÉTAT for Pierre's S. Dak. NIce touch. Theme was OK. Never found SOAP ON A ROPE to be convenient - rope kept getting in the way. Liked the shout out for one of my favorite movies RIO LOBO. Had the pleasure of visiting the casting location for this segment outside Tucson some years ago.

The NW was last to fall, but on the whole an enjoyable solve. PICT offered no problem--I remembered hearing about Picts and Scots long ago. And état never fools me--another example of the French é = English s before t or p.

About the non-tipping golfers: I was a window cleaner in the wealthiest Brooklyn neighborhoods for over 25 years, and I can tell you from long experience that rich people are some of the cheapest humans on this planet. Go figure.

I believe the PICTS were the ones who originated wearing blue face paint into battle.

We like CHEEZITS in split pea and tomato soups.

First off, I like the theme, and the long, occasionally glittery fill. "Crash site" is clever.

Yes, there were things a bit on the obscure side for a WED. I'm more troubled by the inexactness, though. TWO FISTED does NOT mean itching for a fight. There is a pinhole in the middle of a CHEEZIT, but most crackers have similar indents, so it is hardly a defining characteristic. PJ's are worn to bed; a cat is in its fur all the time (THO there is more than one way to skin one.) Plus, the unifier is not well clued.

Throw in a couple awkward affixes, some slang, a bit of French, and the puzzle seems forced and strained. Overall - a mixed review.

Thanks for a fun write-up, Melissa! I can’t believe that the golfers did not even tip you, when they were getting free spa treatments. So much for personal integrity, huh? I wanted “celt” instead of PICT at 9A, but eventually sussed it from the perps. Like JazzB, I remember them as having blue painted faces for some reason. Oh, and I cracked up at your solution to “no I IN team”!

P.D.Q. BACH was a gimmee today - thanks, Hahtool!!

I thought the theme was OK, but there are many phrases that could begin with TIGHT (-knit, -laced, -shoes, -spot, -a**)… OK, well, maybe not all of them are suitable for a daily crossword. Hands up on the clue for TWO-FISTED. I always associate it with heavy drinking. But I did enjoy seeing CHEEZIT. We used to say “cheez-it” instead of “cool it” when I was growing up. Go figure.

Enjoyed the puzzle and got everything except DAPS and DOTBOMB (had "netbomb" and "naps," which admittedly made no sense at all). Since I've had a lot of internet failure in my day, I should have heard this before!

Now I have a silly question: what's a "perp" in crossword lingo? Never heard that before.

Oh my goodness--if I did that, I absolutely did not know it. And I am mortified even at the possibility. I'm not even sure if I've gotten it even now, but of the two things I mentioned I was thinking of "short sleeps" or small cloths at tables or something, which of course has nothing to do with skipping stones. Maybe I'm a little too old or out of it to be a blogger after all.

Good Morning All, Is it just me, (and melissa, and others) or does this seem a little difficult for a Wednesday?

With DAPS, IPSO, PICT, OTRO, RET'D and especially DOT BOMB, I was off to a less than an auspicious start.

Never mind, it is just me. There was lots of good stuff. I enjoyed the theme answers, even though (as usual) I didn't get it until 62A) TIGHT ENDS. I thought it had something to do with boxing.

CHEEZITs aren't bad if you are trying to stave off nausea. I've been lucky. My bug-a-boo is chills and fever on chemo night. I'm cool and collected by the next morning.

Our house buyers fell though, so we are back to square one. I have my suspicions that they were overly optimistic on the amount they could qualify for. That leaves our buy up in the air. I don't know if we can scrounge enough to pay for it without selling this one. We are wayyy past getting a mortgage stage.

Just a small question - is Anon 11:12 just having a general rant, or is there some specific point being made? Being new here, I don't want to get on the wrong etiquette foot, but is that kind of comment normal?

First of all, if I am quick enough, I can just thank Steve ( from yesterday's comment - ) for his correction of my ALT QOD. I should have typed 'escalator' instead of 'elevator'. Thank you, so very much.

As for the rant by the Anon. - just ignore it - It just comes with the territory. It'll pass. Never feed the trolls.

The puzzle was a little beyond my IQ - hence did not finish. I knew 'Pict' and 'daps', tho'.

To Misty: 'Perps' are 'perpendiculars' - the words crossing the word in question, either across or down - which give you additional letters and a hint to the correct answer - and just make them crosswords. and .... BTW, WAGS are wild A-- guesses.

Welcome to all from the other blog. You are not refugees, you are honored guests, and we hope you stay long and learn to love and grow old with us.

I guessed 9-across only because I rememeber listening to the song by Pink Floyd "several species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and grooving with a pict" in college about 30 years ago. We named our intramural basketball team "Several Species" and we WERE a motley crew.

Wed. is still my favorite puzzle day as it gives me just enough challenge that I don't feel stupid.Today I did have to search for Atwater. My 1st correct fill was sushi, as celt did not fly.And I learned the correct spelling of roux, not roue!

I wanted to thank Patty Varol for a very nice ( and just a little difficult - ) puzzle, and melissa bee for her charming commentary.

Suggestion:--- If the 'massagees' don't tip you, you could probably consider putting some Capsaicin in the rubbing oils, and 'burn' them up, just a lil bit, - just to hint to them - on how you feel.

I was fascinated by the picture of T. S. Eliot drawing a complex hierarchical relationship on the blackboard.... Was the poet also a 'genome-ist' or a molecular biologist or an expert on chromosomes or was he drawing the periodic table of elements ?? I searched high and low, and finally found out that he was drawing the relationships between the character(s) of some play of his.....

ALT QOD:- My wife says she wants to go someplace she's never been. I told her, "Great, you can start in the kitchen". ~ Henny Youngman.

I've been YEARS trying to find out where the mad Scotsman in a cave came from. I think I heard in The Fourth Tower of Inverness, probably broadcasted by WRPI although WEQX was pretty freaky back then. Amazing where crosswords will take you.

Misty, keep your head down; those shots weren't directed at you. There was a discussion of pejorative words late last night.

Enjoyable puzzle with no really difficult words and plenty of help from PERPS. It was just enough of a work out for a Wed. -I remebered PICT from school.I had tried CELT for a just a bit.-I loved DOT BOMB. I had D and BOMB so wagged it.-DAP was my first entry. It is also a fishing word, to bob the fly lightly on the water. -A cats FUR being called PJs is a bit of a stretch, I agree. -Spitzboov's definition of TWO FISTED is a legit. alternative to the other meanings.-I wagged -OTA. Lucky guess, because I found I really knew nothing about it.-Does anyone have info on PSEC?- ON A TOOT is old fashioned, but I've seen it in novels.

CA, sorry your house deal fell through. Buying and selling a house at the same time is usually very stressful. I hope you have good luck.

Being now past noon, I can't say good morn, so good day, all.Nice write-up, MB. Pithy. And fun.

Fun puzzle with lots of zip and, agreeing with many, on the tougher side.

Sometimes it's the short ones that throw you for a loop. Had "wby" for TSE for a while, and left FUR to be filled with crosses.

Apropos of not much, just watched "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" last night. "I don't want FOP. I'm a DAPper Dan Man." Would that mean skipping along the surface? @Yellorocks-like the fishing connection. Wasn't a DAP a sort of fist bump in the 60's?

CA, Sorry about the sale falling. But those things do happen. In our market, most listing agents require that buyers be prequalified before they will entertain an offer. The house still has to pass muster (appraisal, whole-house inspection, etc.) but at least the buyer has some evidence in hand that they might actually have the ability to get the needed loan. This may be a regional thing and I suppose there could be some broker license law prohibitions in Cali, but I doubt it. Talk to your agent about it. It won't find you another buyer, but it might avoid this hassle on the next transaction.

I have some thoughts derived from commentary here that may or may not be of interest to readers. It struck me that, for a variety of reasons, this was not the place to express them. Anyone can chose to follow the link, or not. That is not plugging my blog, which is a totally non-commercial exercise, anyway, so hit-count doesn't mean much to me.

Besides which, there is nothing wrong with linking to relevant content. The fact that it is located on my personal blog doesn't change anything.

If you don't like what I have to say, please feel free to ignore my comments. Henceforth, I will be ignoring your criticisms.

And please recognize you really have no standing to be giving lectures on etiquette to anyone.

Since you gave your name, I'm responding, and taking you not to be a troll. Lighten up a bit, play nice and join the fun. That's what we're here for.

Since it's time to lighten up a bit, let me offer a slightly naughty take on ON A TOOT.

When I sit ON THE TOOT (pronounced to rhyme with FOOT), it's to unload an imminent eminence. I was unfamiliar with the usage implied in our puzz today, but I use the word this other way just about every time I have to "go", eschewing the American euphemism of "going to the bathroom".

CA,Sorry, I meant to mention before that I sympathize with your situation vis à vis the house sale. When we were selling our place in the country in 1997, it took a long time. In this market today, I don't envy your situation. A lot depends on having the right realtor and getting the right kind of buyers to look at it. But the stress comes in always having to have it in "show mode" at the drop of a hat, and the ensuing worry as to whether it will sell. As far as getting a mortgage, would a bridging loan be possible? Either way, the uncertainty puts extra strain on you, especially with your health as it is. I hope something comes through for you quickly.

What Grumpy said. Did not know 'dap' although my brother used to be able to do it. I had 'celt' before 'pict' but when the perps gave it to me, I did recognize it. Just didn't seep out.

CA, I am sorry about your house sale disappointment. I didn't realize that you had already purchased another house. That does make things even tougher. I'm sure your luck will be better in the future. I'm also concerned about your ague.(That's the first time I've ever used that word in a sentence! I've been longing to since I found out the correct pronunciation. I always thought it was 'aig') I'm glad it only lasts one night!

Excellent and enjoyable puzzle! It's nice to know that regular members of this blog have blogs of their own. Thank you for sharing! I'm sure if sharing that information was a problem, CC would let us know. Please don't worry yourself needlessly on that point, anonymous John. I'm guessing you have enough problems already.

JazzB : interesting bit about the Picts inventing the use of blue war paint. (I guess they didn't want to get de-picted! Hee hee) So now I wonder: what material might they have been able to lay their hands on, perhaps mineral, to use as blue pigment?

Hola Everyone, I was able to finish all but the NW corner. Otro didn't come to mind as I didn't even think Spanish. Dot Bomb was new and Atwater was no longer in my data bank. Unlike Barry, I had too many cobwebs today!

Crash site/sofa and Cat's Pajamas/ Fur were both clever clues today. I chuckled when they fell into place.

I couldn't decide on Celt or Pict, but that was taken care of when I filled in the down Cheezit.

Thanks MB for another stellar writeup.

Gilmore girls was a favorite at our house, as we have four Gilmore girls. It was fun to see our last name in the puzzle today.

Thanks, Patti, for your puzzle. 1A and 22A and 2D were not for me, but it was an OK solve for me- overall.

MB, very colorful; thanks.

Welcome to all the 'refuges'. Thinking this will make a lot more work for CC and Argyle.I'm thinking a donation is in order and I'm ashamed I haven't thought of it before. Anons should shut up or face being eliminated, unless they donate. At least, in my humble opinion.

It may be a hardship for some of us, and I don't think we should have to foot the bill for the out- of -order anons, who only carp and never add to the puzzle comments.

I will donate by the month, if that works. Actually, I may be the only regular who has not donated.Sorry.

PK @ 1:22, I also thought of the window sealing putty when DAP emerged. And CRACKERs were always the "Westminster" ones made in the Central MA town by that name. We always put them into our clam chowdah...

Recent readers, not only are you welcome, we foster diverse opinions, we have wit, wisdom, wickedness, wrath, whining, whatever you can imagine. We also comment earlier and later. Most of us begin the day reading the late night additions. Finally, because the daily write up is written by differe4nt people we have many voices. Finally, we have people drop in often and others once in a great while, so put on your seat belt and ride along.

YR, I just noticed a "donate" button on the first page of LA Times Crossword Corner.

I think the folks that keep this going- CC and Argyle are really burdened and with the influx of new people mixed with more Anons, I think there is some overhead, not to mention the gruelling man hours this thing takes to oversee.

No problem with PICT. Favorite answers: iMAC, SOFA. I bought a lot of Apple stock after I saw the video of Steve announcing the iMAC at a user group meeting. Turned in the whole life policy that I had on my soon to be ex. Wish to heck that I had held on to that stock!

Went to a retirees' lunchion for Science and Math today. Only about 23 of those 45 attending were actual (tenured) retirees, out of a possible 119 still surviving. Only 3 from math. Disappointing. (It was free too!)

Then went for a x-ray and to see the derm. It was 100 DEGREES out! Really miserable in my wheelchair too. Very strange weather. Can anyone beat that?

The sudokus at the upuzzle.com site have been utterly awful this week. Hope this is not the contributers' long-term plan. Might as well struggle with the LA Times puzzles.

CA: I truly hope that you house problem is soon solved. Is it hot in Fresno area? Do you have lots of bloomers gussying up the place? (I have been in my place for 45 years. The only way that I am leaving is feet first!)

Have missed you folks. Have been knocking myself out swimming and trying to take care of overdue business.

CC and Argyle,I appreciate all your dedication and hard work. As an organizer for many altruistic causes, I have learned people respond when they understand the need, when they can analyze the expenses.

I can feel your reluctance to be so straight forward when puzzledom is your passion. But, your many, many hours of work on this should see some physical renumeration, if only to establish that all this work is valued. Any amount could express appreciation and encourage you to keep on trying. Also are there other fees for being online, or whatever?

Without knowing what is involved, it is hard to gauge what a reasonable donation would be.

If CC and Argyle are too modest toexpress this, please, old hands, help out.

PS. I was an avid PDQ Bach fan. Was fortunate to see him come on stage by various insane means, like sliding down the aisle on a rope (if I recall correctly). Laughed my head off at all of the many concerts that I was fortunate enough to see in L. A. Bought all of the LPs too!

My experience is that the first 'half' of the posts usually are about the puzzle; tricky clues, answers, complaints, compliments, etc. Then it's all been pretty much said. And the conversations turns to other things. I don't think of it as 'unnecessary jabbering', a pejorative term for sure. I think we're all interested in the joys and tribulations of each other. Without that input, I wouldn't enjoy this blog as much.

Also, if you have sincere suggestions and comments, why not use a name (your name?) and go blue rather than hiding behind an anon?

anony-mouse, that's a fine idea, except that tipping happens after the treatment.

heartrx and anon@9:12a, it's quite surprising sometimes. some of the biggest celebrities, politicians and other well knowns that come in are often the worst tippers. and considering tips make up roughly half of our income .... ugh. but there are also many very decent members who make up for the others. it's all good.

welcome to new commenters misty, mari, mokus, steve, goligirl and anyone else i missed. good to have you here.

ca, i'm in the same boat. my house has been on the market since february, and i've lowered the price 3 times, even though i've lost 50% of my equity. ugh. tough times. but every day is a new one .... gotta stay optimistic.

We don't use 'balmy' much around here either. It just popped out of my fingers.

I just reread my comment at 9:17 and it didn't seem overly critical to me. I explained my perception of the style of this blog. I do find it a little odd that someone coming to a new blog for the first time would comment on the 'unnecessary jabbering' but maybe that's just me.

Well BillG, You are just a lot kinder than most. Actually, an excellent question to ask after the last two days would be:WTH are you people smoking?It looks like there might be a period of adjustment. The point is, we're all guests, people. Dennis made that point often, but it never seemed to stick. You don't visit someone's home and suggest changing the color scheme. If you don't like the color of the carpet, maybe you should keep quiet about it until you know your hostess a little better.

OK, here's my deal (on the D-L):To help your team out, I'll faux-cheer for the other team.(Remember, I openly cheered for the three teams that have ties to Tampa Bay ... and they lost in the first round).

Bill G.I think your point-of-view at 9:17 was well said and "put-into-words" why many of us enjoy coming here.

If a theme or clue isn't "perfect" you seldom see anyone going too far dissing the constructor or puzzle.

The one thing I really like is the "positive attitude and sincere joy-of-solving" that is expressed here.

I've also noticed my list of people I "toast-at-Sunset" has gotten longer.(That's a Great-Thing!)

Thanks to all for the good thoughts. The "buyer" agent should have caught the problems, but commissions are not as easy to come by as they once were. I guess she got too anxious. Lesson learned.

Dodo, "Ague"...great word! It wasn't a problem to cancel our offer. I'm sure there is another house out there we will be just as pleased with. We have our daughter's neighbor, the Venezuelan Dynamo keeping an eye out for us.

I wish we could easily afford to buy a house without hitting investments or relying on the sale of this one. But...NOT. We are fortunate that we don't and won't have to get a loan for our next place. It's our age and the circumstances that keep us very cautious.

Garlic Gal, I'm not Catholic, not religious and not even superstitious. But why not? Some of my mom's ashes are scattered on our hill. Maybe her molecules would like some company with a St. Joseph statue.

CA, sorry for your house problems. both my daughter and I went through similar things. After a year without selling, my daughter recently resorted to renting the lovely new home that became her "albatross". The people want to buy, but no longer qualify. They had good references so they pay enough rent to cover the mortgage payments. My daughter agrees to apply the principal amount toward their purchase price if their status changes in the future. She hopes they will take care of the place with this possibility. Risky, but better than the financial drain for a house they couldn't live in.-PK